“Triskaidekaphobia” is defined as a phobia or fear of the number 13.
Yet for some, 13 is considered to be a lucky number.
The Concord Men’s basketball team will put that superstition – or, perhaps, good fortune – to the test in the first round of the WVIAC tournament.
The Mountain Lions secured 13th place in the league with an 89-82 victory over intra-county rival Bluefield State in their regular season finale Saturday afternoon at the Carter Center.
On Senior Day, Concord’s only two seniors helped lead the victory.
Rustin Jessee delighted the home crowd by making his first five three-point shots, finishing with a season-high 17 points, while adding five rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Matt Parker finished with 12 points, three assists, two rebounds and a steal.
Rick Alderman notched a double-double, with a team-high 22 points and 15 rebounds. The freshman shot 10-13 from the floor.
Fellow freshmen Damien Tunstalle and Kortea Johnson respectively added 16 and 11 points for CU.
There were six ties and seven lead changes early in Saturday’s game, but Concord closed out the first half with a 10-4 run to lead 45-39 at the break.
The Mountain Lions would pull away to lead by as much as 68-51 with 12:07 left in the game, and while the Big Blues didn’t get blown out, they would get no closer than the final margin.
BSC’s Sean Weatherspoon recorded a double-double of 28 points and 10 rebounds, to go with six steals. Teammate Rico Thompson just missed a double-double, with 28 points and nine rebounds.
Concord had 22 assists and 16 turnovers. By contrast, Bluefield State ended with eight assists and 17 giveaways.
Concord will visit fourth-seeded Fairmont State in the first round of the conference tournament Tuesday night.
Classic Rock 102 The River (102.3 FM Beckley/102.9 FM Fayetteville) will broadcast Tuesday night’s rematch, with an audio webcast at www.theriver102.com.
The broadcast will begin at 7:00 pm EST, with the “Mountain Lion Preview Show.” Tip-off at Joe Retton Arena is set for 7:30.